Been using LaVoz mediums on clarinet for quite a few years and have been happy with them. They were always packaged in individual plastic reed holders. About six months ago I added an alto sax to my musical life and bought a box of LaVoz mediums from a well known musical supply house and they looked like what I was used to including the plastic reed holders. Was quite happy with them. I had some credit with a well known supplier of everything purchasable in the universe and ordered two boxes of LaVoz mediums for sax from them. The reeds came boxed completely different. No plastic reed holders. Bigger box, with a lot of padding and the reeds grouped in layers 2, 4, 4. The box was similarly printed as the smaller boxes with reed holders. The reeds have the LaVoz logo printed in green on the back and med printed on the top side in green. The ones I was used to have the LaVoz name, and med printed on the backside in brown. The new reeds came with an insert detailing the Rico reed lineup and indicated the relative quality of each brand name and cane quality. LaVoz cane quality was below Grand Concert brand. I played Grand Concerts for a long time but found the LaVoz reeds more consistent. I have only tried one new LaVoz so far and I suspect that it is inferior to what I had been used to. Not enough data to have a firm opinion yet. If you like LaVoz reed holders don't toss them.

> The reeds came
> boxed completely different. No plastic reed holders. Bigger
> box, with a lot of padding and the reeds grouped in layers 2,
> 4, 4. The box was similarly printed as the smaller boxes with
> reed holders.

Sounds like the way they were packed years (decades) ago before all the reed makers started packaging the individual reeds within the box. Maybe they decided to reduce the amount of plastic going into landfills.

Loved the LaVoz on bass clarinet back in the early 1980s...back when they were in the black boxes of 25 with green and gold foil accents, packed in layers with some kind of fibre stuffing between them.

They don't seem to get much notice or love here on the BBoard, but on soprano clarinet I find that they're consistent and enjoyable reeds for jazz, big band, and outdoors playing. If I run out of the V21, I can make glorious music on a La Voz. If they do the job for you, there won't be any argument from me about needing to upgrade to something "better".

I'm a devotee of the plastic holders too. I've used Mitchell Lurie since before they were acquired by Rico and I still use them, though I have my doubts as to whether they're of the same quality as they were pre- Rico. Anyway, they came in the plastic holders, and still do, but with one important change: The holders no longer hinge open so that you lay the reed in the bottom then close the holder. Now the holders are a one piece unit and you slide the reed in and out through a slot. There's a hole on the bottom that you can poke with a finger or pencil eraser to move the reed along, but man, this set up created some minor chest pain for me, especially when my 10 year old daughter started playing and I was trying to help her manage the intricacies of reed maintenance, protection, and application to the mouthpiece. (Despite my anal instruction style she still managed to put a significant gauge in the tip of the new Yamaha mouthpiece I bought her, but I digress.) She and I both trashed a fistful of reeds by accidentally jamming them into that slot and into the sides of the holders when putting them in. Some got pretty well stuck in there too and I had to pry them out using a pencil eraser applied to the hole on the bottom of the holder. (Reminded me of using said eraser to respool cassette tapes that had run out of the cassette. Now between this digression and my reverence for pre- Rico Mitchell Lurie, you have an idea of my age.) I found every old hinged holder I could and put the rest of our reeds in them. Since then, I've started using a Rico reed vitalizer case, which has solved the problem (though sliding the reeds under the rubber band inside still requires care). BTW, does anyone know how often the humidity packs in those vitalizers should be changed?

>>Rico reed vitalizer case, which has solved the problem (though sliding the reeds under the rubber band inside still requires care). BTW, does anyone know how often the humidity packs in those vitalizers should be changed?<<

I change mine after about 10-12 weeks. The material inside the packs gets stiff when they're spent. Poke once a week or so when you get close and you can tell.

Mitchell Lurie reeds were always made by Rico. I made them for 15 years. From the early 1980's until the late 1990's. I was the designer of the Grand Concert line of reeds in the early to mid 1990's and also in charge of the La Voz reeds.

The ONLY difference between a Rico Royal and the La Voz reeds are the file marks at the bark; also referred to as the Vamp. Sandpaper is used to cut this. They come from the same machines and the same cane is used.

I left Rico because they stopped washing the cane and used PESTICIDES now on EVERY reed you put in your mouth. Think about this. I got pretty sick as they didn't tell me. I have a major lawsuit against them.